Debts, Drugs, and Graves
by g-robber2056
Summary: I uploaded this before, but I noticed some typos that I wanted to fix, and I decided to break it into chapters properly. My idea of how Graverobber became the character we know and love.
1. Chapter 1

_Okay, so I wrote a fanfic about how Graverobber came to be the character we know and love. It's set (when else?) 17 years before the movie, so he's about 16 years old. I hope you like it! Constructive criticism is welcomed and appreciated! Also, throughout the story I made seven allusions to a well-known killer...snaps to anybody who finds them all._

Jason hurried down the dark alleys, completely lost. Nothing looked familiar; he had no idea how to get back. His heart began to pound heavily in his chest.

"Oh, man," he whispered to himself. "If I ever manage to get home, mom will kill me." He turned into another alley and saw a young man on the ground, dressed in dirty rags. The man started to drag himself towards Jason.

"Shadow? Is that you?" the man asked. As he got closer, Jason could make out the man's thinness, could see the tremors in his hands. "Shadow, I need a hit, bad." Jason took a nervous step backwards. He could hear his blood pounding in his ears and his chest was beginning to hurt.

Out of nowhere, a figure dropped from above, landing crouched, catlike, on the balls of its toes. The figure straightened and in the poor light Jason could see a teenage girl, dressed in black pants, shirt, and trench coat, her hair dyed black on top and silver underneath.

"Shadow," the junkie whispered. "Thank God." The girl held out her hand and the junkie put a coin in it. She pushed him to the ground and knelt next to him. Jason saw her press a glowing blue gun to his leg and the junkie went still and quiet. The girl stood and turned towards him. She had pale skin and black eyes, she looked completely colorless. When she walked towards him, she seemed to blend into the shadows, only to reappear an arm's length away.

"And how can I help you, little boy?" she asked, though she had to be about the same age he was. Jason took another step back.

"You killed him," he whispered, his eyes flashing to the junkie lying on the ground.

"No," the girl replied. "He's not dead. He's flying, far, far away from here." The girl stepped closer and placed a hand on his chest. "If you don't calm down, you'll need some, too."

"I just want to get home," he said softly, "but I don't know where I am." The girl rolled her eyes.

"Follow me," she ordered before climbing up the side of the building. Jason looked up at her, eyes wide, before taking a deep breath and following slowly. Clambering onto the top of the building, he could see the entire city. "Can you make out your house from here?" Jason scanned the horizon.

"There it is!" he exclaimed, pointing.

"Good," the girl replied. "Now go."

"But how do I get there from here?" he asked. She sighed in annoyance.

"Come on," she commanded. As she started to move across the roof, Jason realized couldn't see her in the darkness.

"Where are you?" He heard a groan and a shining blue light appeared in front of him.

"Follow the little glass vial." Silently the pair traveled over the buildings, moving from roof to roof until they were on top of Jason's apartment. "Now just climb down, and you'll be fine." The girl turned to leave.

"Wait! What's your name?"

"Who can say? Most people call me Shadow."

"I'm Jason Fell." Shadow bowed to him mockingly, then disappeared into the night.


	2. Chapter 2

The next night, Jason was lost in the alleys again. Taking a deep breath, he started to climb up the side of a building. His heart was pounding again, his chest hurt. He made it halfway up the wall and fell to the ground. He sat against the wall for a minute before starting over. He barely made it a quarter of the way before falling down a second time. He sat quietly, trying to relax before climbing up a third time. He heard footsteps in the alley, coming closer. Scrambling to his feet, he turned to get away, but his pulse was too fast. He fell to his knees, hands pressed against his chest. The footsteps stopped in front of him, he saw black platform boots with silver buckles that went all the way up.

"Did you get lost again, kid? Just climb up the wall again." Jason heard Shadow's voice and sighed in relief. He looked up at the girl, noting how from that angle, the silver underside of her hair shined like a halo.

"I...can't," he gasped. "I have a bad heart." Shadow kneeled next to him so she could look him straight in the face.

"Then get a new one." Jason shook his head, still gasping.

"My mom can barely keep up with her own payments. I'd never have the money." Shadow laughed harshly.

"Money? That's an easy problem." From under her trench coat, she pulled a glowing blue vial. "Zydrate," she whispered. Jason's eyes widened.

"You mean deal drugs?" he asked. She nodded.

"There's lots of money to be made with Z." He thought of the junkie from the previous night and shuttered. "They aren't usually that bad," she promised, as though reading his mind. "He had just gone too long without a hit." As they talked, a large group of girls had walked into the alley.

"Shadow," one of them called softly.

"See?" she whispered under her breath to Jason before standing. "How much?"

The girl who had spoken handed Shadow a stack of coins. From under her coat, Shadow pulled out the gun and a blue vial. One by one, she shot the girls in the leg, stopping to change the vial halfway through. The girls walked off, tripping over each other and she replaced the gun under her trench coat. Shadow sat next to Jason again and opened her hand so he could see all of the coins. He raised his eyebrows – it was half a month's rent.

"I'm running low, come on," she grabbed his hand and pulled him to his feet.

"Where are we going?" he asked, following her through the alleys.

"Harvesting," was her only reply.

The two slid through the dark streets, not making a sound. Soon they were standing in front of a brick wall. Shadow reached down and pulled out several loose bricks, making a hole just big enough to squeeze through.

"Go on," she whispered. Taking a deep breath, Jason climbed feet first through the opening. Standing up on the other side, he stared in horror at the sea of bodies in front of him. Shadow's hands pressed his shoulders, forcing him to crouch.

"We don't want to be caught." She pointed to the familiar sign on the wall. _Graverobbers will be executed on sight by order of GeneCo by-law No. 653-465_. Above it was a fixed camera to catch images of grave robbers. Shadow crept over to the closest body and pulled out a brown leather bundle. Unrolling it, she showed him the metal syringe and rows of empty glass vials. She pushed a vial into the syringe and slid the metal needle under the corpse's skin and through the skull. Pulling on the plunger, her hands were bathed in a blue glow as the tube filled with Zydrate. Removing the syringe, she placed the vial into a pocket in her trench coat. She moved to the next body and repeated the process, making sure Jason was watching closely. After the initial shock had worn off she could tell that he was intrigued. They moved to a third corpse and she handed him the syringe and an empty vial.

"Your turn." Jason's hands were steady as he inserted the vial, but he hesitated when he went to push the needle into the body. "Don't think about it. Just do it," Shadow whispered. He nodded and copied what he had seen her do. Taking the full vial from him, she examined the Zydrate carefully and smiled, nodding.

"Good job. Now do the next one." They quickly filled the two dozen vials, with Shadow taking the syringe only when she wanted to correct him or point out something technical. When they were done she wrapped up the tools and they crawled back out the hole in the wall, replacing the loose bricks.

They hurried back to the alley just as the junkies were starting to arrive. Shadow showed him how to put the Zydrate into the gun. Pulling the trigger and quickly letting go would release one dose, about a third of a vial. She cautioned him against holding the trigger, which would release the entire vial and cause an overdose. Jason sat against the wall, watching how she sold and distributed the drug. By the end of the night, she had emptied five vials and the alley was empty.

Jason stood to go home, but Shadow stopped him.

"Half the work, half the money," she said with the air of an invitation. She pressed a stack of coins into his hand and he gaped, there was enough money to make a payment on his mom's lungs. Shadow smiled at the look of excitement on his face. "Be here tonight if you want to join me."

Jason turned and hurried back home. Outside his house he froze, staring at a poster on the wall. He had passed it a hundred times before without realizing who was on it. The poster featured a picture of Shadow holding the Zydrate gun by her face, pointed at the sky. Her pale face and metallic hair were washed in the soft, blue glow of the drug. Large bold letters below her face stated, "WANTED FOR GRAVEROBBING AND ZYDRATE PEDDLING." Jason looked into the now-familiar black eyes, smiled, and ran inside.


	3. Chapter 3

Jason ran to his mother's room and shook her awake.

"What?" she groaned, rubbing her eyes. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the money Shadow had given him. His mother was instantly awake. "Where – where did you get all of that?" she choked out.

"I sold Z," Jason replied simply. His mother's eyes widened further.

"You what? That's not – it's – you could be killed!"

"But look at how much I made in one night. We could pay for your lungs and get me a new heart, without having to worry about falling behind in our payments." She shook her head.

"No, Jason. It's not right. I won't use that – that _blood money_." Jason felt like she had slapped him.

"Fine," he spat. "You hide from the Repo Man. I'm going to go buy myself a heart." Jason turned on his heel and stormed out of the house.

He sprinted through the streets, ignoring the pain in his chest until he reached the alley.

"Shadow," he panted as he doubled over in pain. "Are – are you still there?" He walked through the alley, looking around. He passed a dumpster, then backpedaled and looked in. Shadow was laying on top of the trash, the crook of her arm over her eyes to block out the light.

"Kid, what are you doing here?" she asked without removing her arm. "It's dangerous to be out here during the day."

"I want to join you," he pleaded.

"You could have said that tonight, like I told you to," she muttered, irritated.

"I'm going to GeneCo today; I'm getting a new heart. I didn't think I'd be able to make it back here tonight."

"Funny, I had you pinned as giving all the money to your mom," she mused. "I guess you're harder to read than I thought." Jason pressed his lips together.

"She wouldn't take it, she called it blood money," he admitted. Shadow moved her arm and her black eyes glinted in the poor light.

"That's cold," she sympathized. Shifting slightly, she replaced her arm. "Go get your heart, kid. I'll be here when you get back."

Jason sat in the hospital bed, looking at the clipboard in his hand. As the surgeon watched him impatiently he tried to do the math in his head. He had enough money in his pockets to make the first payment. If there was a rush like the night before once a week, he could pay immediately and beat the interest. He would pay off the heart in less than four years and would never have to worry about the Repo Man. Jason nodded to himself and signed the contract.

The surgeon took the clipboard and picked up a syringe from a tray nearby.

"The Zydrate will keep you asleep for the surgery and the worst of the healing process. When you wake up you should be able to leave."

Jason nodded, barely listening, and noticed that the Zydrate in the syringe looked different from what Shadow sold. It was lighter and didn't glow as brightly. He made a mental note to ask her later, then the surgeon injected him and the world went black.

Jason's chest hurt when he woke up.

_It didn't work,_ he thought with despair. Calming down, he quickly realized that it wasn't the sort of pain he was used to; it was more superficial and stinging. He looked down at his chest and touched the half-healed scar. It ached, but not badly.

A nurse walked in and he looked up.

"You're up, good." She pressed a button next to the bed and walked out. A few minutes later, the surgeon walked in and flipped through his file.

"You're free to go if you feel up to it. Don't exert yourself for a few weeks and make your payments on time." Bewildered, Jason sat in silence as the surgeon left. Slowly he climbed out of the bed and pulled on his clothes which were folded nearby. Looking around, he walked out of the building into the world.


	4. Chapter 4

It was early morning, so Jason went home first. His mother ran to him when he walked in.

"Where have you been?" she grabbed his shoulders. "It's been a week!"

"I was getting a new heart," Jason replied, glowering slightly. "With the _blood money_." His mother winced.

"Please, Jason," she begged. "Don't keep selling drugs."

"It's good money, mom. I won't have to worry about falling behind. I could make your payments, too."

She shook her head.

"I can't stop you from paying for yourself, but I will not use that money."

"But mom—"

"I have to go," she walked past him out the door, leaving him alone in the house.

When the sun went down, Jason sprinted to the alley, feeling a sense of freedom he had never known before. He made it to the alley out of breath and walked slowly through it, looking for Shadow.

"You shouldn't be running so soon, you'll overstress your new heart."

Jason looked up, searching for the source of the voice. Hearing movement, he turned just in time to see Shadow land lightly beside him. "Welcome back," she greeted. "Do you still want to sell, or are you here to tell me goodbye?"

"I still want to," he assured her. She smiled.

"In that case, come. I'm low again."

They crossed the city to the mass graves for the second time. Shadow handed him the syringe and helped him fill the first vial, then let him continue alone. As they went, he remembered the hospital's Zydrate.

"Why is the Z in the hospital different?"

Shadow handed him an empty vial.

"The Zydrate doctors use isn't pure. They add water and some other chemicals, which makes it more of a sleeping pill than a pain killer."

Thinking about the hospital made him aware of the pain in his chest. He rubbed the wound, wincing.

"Ignore it, just think about the vials," Shadow instructed. "You don't want to be weak and give in to the pain. The glow is an expensive habit."

Jason nodded and finished filling the vials. Back across the city they went, and again Jason watched as Shadow sold. At the end of the night they split up the money.

"Do you make this much every night?" he breathed, amazed as he redid the math. Shadow nodded. "I could pay GeneCo off in six months!" Suddenly he realized something. "If you make so much money, why do you sleep in a dumpster?" She smiled gently, as though trying not to be condescending.

"My face is on wanted signs all over the city," she reminded him. "I can't exactly go rent an apartment."

"So what do you do with the money?" he asked.

"Maybe I'll show you some day," she offered. "Right now, though, you should go home. Like I said before, it's dangerous to be here during the day. Especially in my company."

Jason nodded and turned, running home.

Over the next few months, they fell into a routine. Jason learned how to collect Zydrate faster, but Shadow was still much better and took over when they were in a rush. He continued to watch her sell and was beginning to understand the nuances of the business. He paid off much of his debt and persisted in trying to convince his mother to pay off hers as well. She refused every time, though she was falling behind. Jason fretted to himself, but did his best to keep his worry from Shadow. His biggest fear was for her to call him "weak" for any reason. The healing ache of his chest became worse, but he heeded her warning and stayed away from Zydrate, knowing that the pain would pass.

And as the days elapsed, Jason learned more and more about Shadow. He admired her stealth and her way with the customers. (He no longer thought of them as junkies.) He admired her rebelliousness, her disdain for the superficial scalpel sluts who changed their appearance every day. He admired her intelligence, the way she seemed to know everything about everybody. And as time went on, he began to admire her beauty. She had flawless, porcelain skin, striking features, and a body that scalpel sluts longed to have. And the fact that her beauty was natural in this city of surgery made it all the more wondrous. But as beautiful as he thought she was, he wouldn't allow himself to think about her looks; she looked down so much on shallow attraction.

He walked home early one morning, debating whether he should tell her how he felt, when he realized the door of his apartment was wide open. Confused, he stepped through the door. There was blood on the floor. He walked into the next room and froze.

His mother's body was on the ground. Her chest was ripped open. Her ribs had been broken off to get at her lungs, which were missing. Her eyes stared up at the ceiling, her mouth open in a silent scream. Jason stumbled backward, fell, then stood and darted back to the alley as fast as he could.


	5. Chapter 5

He sprinted to the dumpster and jumped onto it so he was looking down at Shadow. She opened her eyes and saw the shock and horror on his face.

"What's wrong?" she asked, sitting up.

"My mother – lungs..." Jason stammered, unable to form a complete sentence. Shadow swung herself out of the dumpster and pulled him down.

"Your mother didn't make her payments?" she guessed. He shook his head frantically. Shadow closed her eyes softly and sighed. "Why didn't you tell me she was in trouble?"

"Pain – worry – weak." Shadow shook her head, eyes still closed.

"Pain and worry are not weak, letting them control you is." She opened her eyes and looked at him sympathetically. "Come on, you don't want your body to go into shock."

She led him into the city and bought food for the two of them. The vendor was so exhausted he didn't recognize the grave robber, but they returned to the relative safety of the alley anyway. As the sun came up they sat together, Shadow forcing Jason to eat.

"I – I don't think I can go back," he muttered, mostly to himself.

"We made enough last night to rent you an apartment. You don't have to go back."

"What if the Repo Man comes for me?" Jason looked up, terrified by the sudden thought. Shadow shook her head.

"You're way ahead on your payments, you have nothing to worry about."

"Please come with me," Jason begged. Shadow shook her head again, looking up at the rising sun. She hadn't been up during the day in years, and the poor light was making her nervous.

"If you're caught with me, you will be executed, whether we are robbing graves or not. You are guilty by association." Jason looked crestfallen but nodded. She rolled her eyes and sighed softly.

"Go get an apartment. I'll sneak in and keep you company," she surrendered. He managed to smile gratefully.

"Thank you," he breathed, wrapping his arms around her. She sat stiffly, waiting for him to let go.

_Stop getting sentimental,_ she thought, _you're disgusting yourself._ Jason released her, slowly stood, and walked toward the city to find an apartment.

Jason walked through the city and stopped at the first empty apartment he found. He went up to the landlord and handed him a coin before walking up to the run-down room. Robotically, he locked the door, opened the window, and lay down in an attempt to sleep. He felt numb to the world, he couldn't concentrate. He threw his arms over his face to block out the light and sound of the world and fell into a restless sleep.

Shadow crouched silently on the roof of a tall building to watch Jason find a place to sleep. The weak sun bathed her in unfamiliar light, leaving her feeling exposed and jittery.

_How did I end up here?_ she asked herself. _Why did I say I would stay with him? He needs to push through this himself. Nothing good can come from this._ Still, she knew that she would honor her promise to him. She sighed and began to move across the roof. Jason had found a place to stay and she could see him opening the window. The buildings were close together and she could easily jump from roof to roof. Soon she was directly above the apartment, looking down over the edge of the building at the open window two stories below her.

Looking carefully around for guards, she turned her back to the street and stepped off the roof. As she fell she grabbed the top of the open window frame and swung herself into the room. She closed the window and blinds before sitting against the wall and falling asleep.


	6. Chapter 6

Shadow woke as the sun was going down. Looking over at the bed, she could see Jason was still asleep, tossing around from his nightmares. She opened the window and climbed quickly to the roof. Crossing the city, she found a place to buy food without being recognized, took the food back to the apartment, and sat by the window eating. A few minutes later, Jason woke up.

"Took you long enough," Shadow muttered as she handed him food.

"Thanks for staying with me," Jason answered. Shadow shook her head.

"Don't get used to it. You made it through the first night. Now you're on your own." Jason nodded sadly in understanding. "Finish your food and meet me in the alley," she instructed. "I'll be there selling."

She left before he had the chance to respond.

Jason moved quickly through the streets to the alley. When he got there, Shadow grabbed him by the shoulders and steered him toward the wall.

"It looks like you won't be going back to your apartment. Welcome to the streets."

In front of him was a poster of himself holding up a glowing vial of Zydrate. It blared, "WANTED FOR GRAVEROBBING" in bold letters. Jason looked up at her, confused. He had been careful, when had he been seen?

"You must have gotten in range of the camera in the mass graves."

"Now what do I do?" he wondered out loud. Shadow smiled slightly.

"Find a dumpster to sleep in and take a new name. Jason Fell no longer exists." They both looked up as a young woman walked into the alley. "Give her what she wants," Shadow whispered in his ear as she slipped the gun into his hand.

"Hey, Graverobber," the woman called. She held up a coin for him to see and danced suggestively towards them.

Jason took the coin and kneeled on the ground in front of her. He ran his hand up the back of her leg and pressed the gun to her thigh. She moaned softly and sank to the ground when he injected her. Jason went to stand by Shadow and handed her the gun.

"Graverobber," she mused. "I like it. What do you think?" He stared into her black eyes for a moment before grabbing her shoulders and kissing her hard on the mouth. She tensed momentarily, then relaxed and kissed him back.

"I'm sorry," he breathed. "I just couldn't stand here and wonder anymore." Shadow grinned at him.

"I'm proud of you," she whispered. "I always thought you needed to get more fun out of life."

They didn't speak much for the rest of the night; they just passed the Zydrate gun back and forth, taking turns helping the customers. The alley emptied about an hour before sunrise, leaving them sitting together in the dark.

Graverobber looked over at Shadow. "How do I pay off my surgery now?" he questioned. "I can't go near GeneCo, so sooner or later the payments will catch up and the Repo Man will be sent after me."

"Don't worry," she reassured. "Remember when you asked me what I do with all the money I earn? Tonight you'll find out."

They sat in silence as Shadow went through the vials, placing the empty ones in her brown leather bundle to be filled later. The sun was just starting to come up when a large figure appeared in the alley. Graverobber instantly recognized the uniform of a Repo Man. Shadow stood and walked towards him as the man held out a gloved hand. She handed him a stack of coins and told him Graverobber's name. The Repo Man held out his other hand and in it she placed a vial of Zydrate. The Repo Man nodded and left. Shadow returned to sitting against the wall.

"One of GeneCo's men likes using small amounts of Zydrate to silence repossession victims. In exchange, he lets me secretly pay the debts of my customers. Their debts get paid, they keep coming back for more drugs. Zydrate costs more than surgery." Shadow paused before adding, "If I had known your mother was behind, I would have paid her debts, too."

Graverobber was quiet for a moment as he turned to face her. He pushed her hair back from her face and kissed her softly.

"I think I love you," he whispered. Shadow smiled and tucked her hair behind her ears before kissing him back.


	7. Chapter 7

The months passed. Shadow and Graverobber slept together in the dumpster every day, and often broke into recently emptied houses to use the showers. At night they harvested and sold Zydrate without getting caught.

One night, however, they were in the mass graves to replenish their supply of the drug. Shadow was bent over a corpse when she suddenly gathered all of her instruments and wrapped them up, handing the bundle to Graverobber.

"We've been seen," she whispered. "We'll have to run. If I get caught, don't come back for me. If we both get caught, make a deal with Rotti Largo. He needs stealthy civilians working for him, he'll let you live." Graverobber opened his mouth to object but was stopped by a look. "Don't argue, just run."

They both sprinted toward the hole in the wall and were immediately surrounded by guards that grabbed them from every side. Shadow punched a guard in the stomach and pushed him into another man. A third guard ran at her and she slammed her palm into his nose, breaking it.

Graverobber managed to get an arm free and smashed a guard in the face with the back of his fist. He heard a gasp and saw Shadow fall to the ground as a guard pressed a cattle prod against her stomach. Two guards grabbed her arms and forced her to her feet. With the prod close to their bodies, the two were dragged to GeneCo.

They were forced down a set of stairs to the basement, where they were pulled into separate rooms.

"Make a deal," Shadow managed to hiss at him before she disappeared. He struggled to follow her, but a guard shocked him until he went limp. He was thrown against the wall as a short, round man walked into the room.

"Jason Fell," the man greeted. "I'm Rotti Largo."

"Jason Fell no longer exists," Graverobber hissed. Rotti smirked and pulled out a sheet of paper.

"Do you value your life? I will let you keep it if you work for me. You'll be free to harvest and peddle Zydrate, but you must be my spy and thief when I say so, without questioning me. Quid pro quo. Yes or no? Follow my orders when I give them, and you'll be free the rest of the time." He handed Graverobber the contract.

Graverobber read the text, his heart sinking. _I will never, ever get out while I'm alive,_ he thought. He trusted Shadow, though, and after a long hesitation he signed the contract. Rotti smirked again.

"Good. Follow me." They walked into the next room, where the guards were still holding Shadow's arms out, keeping her from fighting. "Adrianna Mazzara," Rotti accosted. "That is your name, right?"

"She died a long time ago," Shadow snarled.

"Ah. I see," he mocked. "Can I interest you in the same deal I made your protégé?"

"Never," she whispered. "I would rather die than stay in this hell." Rotti pretended to be sad.

"Well, I suppose it's your choice," he walked towards her and pulled the Zydrate gun from its holster. Walking back to Graverobber, he pressed it into his hand. "Inject her with all of it. Kill her." Graverobber's eyes widened with horror.

"No," he protested. Rotti held up the contract. Horrified, he walked towards Shadow.

"Why?" he whispered. "Why have me make a deal if you won't?" She smiled sadly.

"Because," she answered, "the world is more interesting with you in it."

"I can't do this."

"Don't be weak. Don't let this affect you." With his free hand, Graverobber pushed her hair out of her face.

"I love you," he whispered before kissing her passionately. As they kissed he pressed the gun against her chest and pulled the trigger, holding it tightly. He tasted blood in his mouth and pulled away.

Shadow blinked, blood running down her face from her eyes like red tears. Her mouth was filled with the red liquid and it stained her lips like makeup. The gun usually left tiny holes that healed quickly without bleeding, but blood surged from her chest where he had injected her. The floor quickly became slick with blood pouring from her body. Shadow turned her face upwards as her body began to convulse, forcing even more blood from her. Finally, she went limp, eyes blank through the blood. The guards dropped her.

Rotti took the holster from her still body and handed it to Graverobber, who hadn't moved. _I will never love again,_ he thought as he put on the holster and sheathed the gun. _I will never let myself be hurt again._ Looking at Shadow one last time, he turned and walked from the room out of GeneCo, leaving bloody footprints as he went.

The next night, Graverobber stood alone in the alley, staring at the blank wall in front of him. The poster of Shadow was gone. They all were. Within twelve hours of her death, every trace of his mentor, his friend, had been erased. He tried not to think about her, about how cold it was in the alley without the extra body heat. He needed to block her out of his mind, he would go crazy otherwise.

It was too early for anybody to be out and he had already snuck to the graves and harvested the Zydrate he needed, so he walked aimlessly around the alley. New posters were up of him, he wasn't sure where they had gotten the picture. The caption had been changed. WANTED: FOR GRAVEROBBING, ZYDRATE PEDDLING. Not that they would ever put him in danger. Even if his customers did turn him in, Rotti would let him go. He just had to watch out for guards that shot first and got permission afterwards.

A noise at the other end of the alley shook him out of his reverie. A customer looking for a hit. He pulled out his gun and a vial of Zydrate. While customers passed through the alley all night, he managed to lose his thoughts in his work. As the months went by, he gained a reputation for being mysterious and distant, and in that way he managed to block out thoughts of Shadow completely.


	8. Epilogue

17 years later...

Graverobber walked among the tombs, searching for fairly fresh bodies. The mass graves had been sealed off. He would find a way in, but he was in too much of a rush tonight. He opened a new tomb and pulled out the body to harvest the Zydrate. As he did, he saw a teenage girl nearby, trying to catch a bug. The insect lit up momentarily, lighting the girl's face. Graverobber's mind froze as his body continued as if nothing had happened. His tried to stop himself, but the thought came anyway.

_She looks a lot like Shadow..._


End file.
